LONDON, 23 April 2018: The Association of British Travel Agents announced Friday, ahead of Earth Day 22 April, that plastics would be the focus of its 2018 Make Holidays Greener campaign.
TTG UK reported the move in its business-day alert saying the campaign will launch in June and will run through to the end of August.
The ABTA campaign will target not just holidaymakers, but travel businesses, tourist boards, hotels, resorts and destinations.
The objectives are to show the travel industry is backing campaigns and efforts to adopt alternatives to plastics, host clean-up operations and commit to the reduce, reuse and recycle ethos.
ABTA says it is committed to sustainable tourism to support the “long-term viability” of the industry, with plastics recently having come to the fore as a key matter to be addressed.
ABTA, which represents the nation’s travel companies, has partnered with Travelife, an agency that runs its own sustainability certification scheme to encourage businesses around the world to make positive environmental changes.
According to TTG UK, ABTA’s director of destinations and sustainability, Nikki White said: “As is often the case in travel – there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ solution to plastics and other sustainability issues.
“How destinations manage their waste varies significantly, so what can be recycled in one resort can’t in another. Make Holidays Greener is a great opportunity for travel companies to share best practice of what has worked, try out new approaches and get customers involved in their sustainability agenda.
“This past year has seen a tipping point in public awareness on the damage plastics can have on the environment – and businesses can use this to drive forward a change in their approach internally, as well as with suppliers and destinations.
“Almost 70% of consumers now think travel companies should ensure their holidays help the local people and economy, so we would encourage all members to get involved with our Make Holidays Greener campaign, whether by organising a beach clean or encouraging your customers to make a sustainable holiday pledge such as saying no to plastic.”
If you have a no-plastic story to tell, alert us. TTR Weekly will give priority to your story as we focus on the urgent need for tourism and hospitality is be a leader in the war against plastic pollution.
(Source: TTG UK)
